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Edge of the Century

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Edge of the Century
Studio album by
Styx
ReleasedOctober 9, 1990
RecordedApril 1989 – August 1990
StudioCRC, Chicago
GenreHard rock[1]
Length42:35
LabelA&M
ProducerDennis DeYoung
Styx chronology
Caught in the Act
(1984) 		Edge of the Century
(1990) 		Return to Paradise
(1997)
Singles from Edge of the Century
  1. "Love Is the Ritual"
    Released: October 1990[2]
  2. "Show Me the Way"
    Released: November 1990[3]
  3. "Love at First Sight"
    Released: March 1991[4]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Entertainment WeeklyC[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[7]

Edge of the Century is the twelfth studio album by Styx, released in 1990 on A&M Records. It was the first Styx album featuring A&M solo artist Glen Burtnik and the final album to feature drummer John Panozzo before his death in 1996. It is also their final album to be released on A&M Records.

The album spawned three singles. "Show Me the Way" was written by DeYoung and peaked at #3 on both the Hot 100 Pop Singles Chart and Adult Contemporary Chart. Some radio stations played a version edited with snippets of congressional debate and caller dedications to troops in the Gulf War.[8] "Love Is the Ritual," (Pop singles peak #80, Rock Track peak #8) written by Burtnik and Plinky Giglio, and "Love at First Sight," (Pop singles chart peak, #25, Adult Contemporary peak, #13) written by Burtnik, DeYoung and Young, were also released as singles, but neither garnered the same amount of success as "Show Me the Way."

The album sold more than 500,000 copies and was certified gold by the RIAA.

Background

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After a 7 year hiatus, Dennis DeYoung (lead vocals, keyboards), James Young (guitars and backing vocals), Chuck Panozzo (bass), and John Panozzo (drums and percussion) reunited for a new album. Longtime lead guitarist and secondary lead vocalist Tommy Shaw was unavailable for the reunion due to a prior commitment to Damn Yankees. In his place, the band recruited A&M solo artist Burtnik to fill the role. Burtnik brought 3 solo songs with him that the band rerecorded and added writing credits to another two songs ("Love At First Sight" and "All In A Day's Work") co-written with DeYoung during the album's recording.

In a risky move and a nod to when Tommy Shaw originally joined the band, the band not only named the album after a Burtnik song, but also released "Love Is the Ritual" as the first single. As written by Styx biographer Sterling Whitaker, "If Styx were to return to their former glory, The first single would be critical in re-introducing the group into the market place. "Love is the Ritual" was a risk. Burtnik's voice was unfamiliar and the style and arrangements of the song had little to do with the classic Styx song. Nevertheless, the band was convinced the song's modern rock slant was just what Styx needed to be competitive in the current radio climate." [9]. The risk did not work. While the single got some airplay at rock radio, it only peaked at #80 on the pop charts.

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Love Is the Ritual"Burtnik, PlinkyBurtnik3:48
2."Show Me the Way"DeYoungDeYoung4:35
3."Edge of the Century"Burtnik, Bob BurgerBurtnik4:20
4."Love at First Sight"Burtnik, DeYoung, YoungDeYoung4:35
5."All in a Day's Work"Burtnik, DeYoungBurtnik4:11
6."Not Dead Yet"Ralph CovertDeYoung3:32
7."World Tonite"BurtnikBurtnik3:38
8."Carrie Ann"DeYoungDeYoung4:26
9."Homewrecker"Young, DeYoungYoung5:12
10."Back to Chicago"DeYoungDeYoung4:18

Personnel

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Styx

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Additional personnel

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Production

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  • Dennis DeYoung – producer, mixing
  • Phil Bonanno – engineer, mixing
  • Chris Shepard – second engineer
  • Plinky Giglio – additional engineer (1)
  • Ted Jensen – mastering at Sterling Sound, NYC
  • Hugh Syme – art direction, design
  • Mark Hauser – photography

Charts

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Chart (1990–1991) Peak
position
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[10] 49
US Billboard 200[11] 63

Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[12] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ McPadden, Mike (September 16, 2015). "10 Hard Rock + Heavy Metal Artists That Went Glam for One Album". VH1. Archived from the original on October 8, 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  2. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 799. ISBN 9780862415419.
  3. ^ "Styx singles".
  4. ^ "Styx singles".
  5. ^ Mansfield, Brian. "Edge of the Century - Styx | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2020.
  6. ^ Robbins, Ira (October 12, 1990). "Edge of the Century". Entertainment Weekly.
  7. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 789. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone styx album guide.
  8. ^ "New Philadelphia Times Reporter Archives, Feb 10, 1991, p. 21". newspaperarchive.com.
  9. ^ Whitaker, Sterling. The Grand Delusion. Sterling Whitaker. ISBN 1419653539.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 9184". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  11. ^ "Styx Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  12. ^ "American album certifications – Styx – Edge of the Century". Recording Industry Association of America.
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